Warm Strangers
by CornFielder
Summary: A love story spanning many years: Sasuke leaves Konoha, Naruto becomes depressed, recoveries have begin, the two end their long separation. They continue to their future together, letting love be all. Various pairings including mild SasuNaru BL. Character death in early chapter.
1. Feather Moon

AN: I've had this story going as an idea for over two years now, and as an actual project for almost as long. I've finally got it to a state in which I'm happy publishing it, and am taking the plunge.

This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to Nashi (my OC) and this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 1: FEATHER MOON

It had been a slow day for Kakashi Hatake's team of young shinobi. Training had been a series of three-way sparring matches, which left Naruto Uzumaki very much sore and bruised, Sakura Haruno tending to a few small injuries, and Sasuke Uchiha holding his nose in the air as if he hadn't been touched.

As Naruto went on about being hungry and what type of ramen he should eat that night, the sun was setting, turning the sky a vivid shade of red as the full moon became visible over the trees. "They say that eyes open to new sights in Konoha under the Feather Moon," the sensei mused, eye lingering on the orb in the sky. "The full moon that we have tonight is a Feather Moon," he continued, lowering his gaze. "Keep your eyes open." He smiled, closing his one visible eye.

Naruto was unable to make himself go home right away, choosing instead to walk around the town, soon ending up in the forest. He continued wandering aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds all around him, until past nightfall. He wandered on even in the dark and soon came upon a narrow, shallow stream flowing slowly through a spot in the woods where he could see the sky. Sitting on the ground, he saw the reflection of the full moon glowing bright in the otherwise dark water in front of him. He remembered his teacher's words about tonight's supposed phenomenon and, taking them literally, he started focusing intently on every little detail around himself, expecting to see something that might only be visible once in a lifetime. Nothing seemed strange to him and, disappointed, he heaved a sigh and looked down. When he did so, he saw a tiny, individual pink flower, growing by his side; had he sat any further to his left, he would have crushed it. Standing as carefully as he knew how, he looked down, but saw that he had not sat upon any others like it. Looking at the flower as closely as the lonely light of the moon would allow, Naruto decided it was the same color as Sakura's hair. Thinking about Sakura made him happy.

Suddenly he realized that he didn't even know why. Sure she was pretty, but it wasn't like she was the only pretty girl in the village. She didn't even like him—not as if many people did. She would never have talked to Naruto if they weren't on the same team, so what made her so special to him? Naruto couldn't find an answer. He moved away from the flower, careful not to trample it, and crossed the stream. Here, to his surprise, he found another flower just like the one he had left a moment ago. This one, however, was much further from the stream, under trees. He found several more like this last one. Curious, he returned to the stream and meandered along it. The first flower was the only one next to it, as far as he could tell. Something about it stood out to him. It was like so many others of its kind, and yet it was the one that had made itself special. It was by the stream. He returned to that flower and sat next to it again, giving it a little more room this time. He looked at the flower and at the moon's reflection again. _She's a good girl, even if she can be mean sometimes…a friend I want to have for a long time, I think._

Sakura sat in her window, looking out at the night. The moon shone bright above but it gave no hints as to what new sights it was supposed to be opening her eyes. There had been some strange gusts of wind earlier in the evening but they had mostly calmed down now, and were blowing gently toward her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air that carried with it the lingering scent of the forest. Tonight it was as strong in Sakura's bedroom as it ever was in the woods. It was such a peaceful scent but at the same time one that spoke of so much life and vibrancy. Every plant and every creature was carried in it. They weaved together into a glorious tapestry of nature's design. Grander still was how the smell could seem to carry emotions in it. Some days it was triumphant, some days desolate, others content, furious, or confused. These emotions seemed to match the mood in and around Konoha. Sakura knew all this because tonight was not the first night she had spent at her window. This night was a certain first, though. She knew that the mood of the forest was one she had not smelt on its breath before. This night's breeze bore a perfume that she could only call wisdom. It was heavy, dark and ancient, much like a clever old man. It was pure and clean, like a child. It was mysterious, like the darkest part of the night. It was…Sakura kept leading herself in circles, trying to come up with a better word. _The best name for it is 'wise,' after all._ She let the smell envelope her, convinced that it would make her feel the wisdom of the forest.

Sakura tried to clear her mind to let in the wisdom, but certain images kept recurring. The most prominent one was her teammate Sasuke's face. He was the most handsome boy in all of Konoha; she was sure of that. It seemed all of the girls were in love with him. Yet he responded to none of them, especially not her. It always upset Sakura to be rejected by Sasuke. The more she thought about it, though, the more she couldn't understand why. There were plenty of good guys in and around Konoha, all of whom seemed to be more than ready for girlfriends and yet…all eyes were in one place. What was the point? Were they trying to make life miserable for everyone? Sakura saw this as cruel and convinced herself that she had to do something. _But how? If I suddenly drop interest in Sasuke everyone's going to think that I've gone crazy._ She inhaled deeply as she pondered this newest question.

Their teacher could be an idiot a lot of the time, this Sasuke knew. The 'Feather Moon'? Seriously? No one else had ever heard of such a thing. Kakashi had to have made it up. The last Uchiha refused to believe anything of the sort. So, needless to say, he wasn't about to try to make the tall tale true. After the long day with his team, he was training in his house when he heard a very strong wind pick up outside. The noise didn't bother him until it was accompanied by that of something beating against the wall. Finding it odd, he stepped out the back of the house and watched as trees were pushed this way and that by a gale that couldn't seem to make up its mind as to where it needed to be. _We don't get wind like this often._ He continued to watch nature as the storm raged about, transfixed for a reason he could never explain. The wind then stopped as suddenly as it had started and Sasuke felt himself drawn further outside. Gingerly sitting on the grass, he listened intently to the silence all around him. Soon, a solitary bird started singing. It was joined by others like it in a simple song from nature. He sat absorbed in the rhythm-less melody for much longer than he would ever admit. Soon, a bird moved from its perch in the trees and settled on Sasuke's house. The song seemed different now, almost as if…Sasuke couldn't find the word he was looking for. It had certainly severely changed in the few seconds it took for one bird to relocate itself. _If something that simple can change the way a song sounds…there might never be a song like that one again._ Now more appreciative of this concert that he alone was attending, he let the music fill him, noting how the song shifted each time a bird moved. _Perhaps, if I listen from somewhere different, it will change._ He stood up to sit closer to the trees.

As he did, he startled one of the birds. Terrified by the giant beast approaching it the delicate creature flew off, shrieking in terror. The others followed suit, trusting their frightened friend, and the music stopped. Slightly disappointed, Sasuke sat down on the grass again, enjoying the silence. The sudden retreat of the birds got him thinking. At first, it seemed strange to go from peaceful contentment to terror so quickly, but then, he realized that he knew someone who acted like the birds did. His teammate Sakura was always so happy whenever she was around just him, but as soon as Naruto stepped into the picture, she turned savage. He always rejected her coldly, and she acted like it had hurt her, but whenever Naruto fawned over her the way she did over Sasuke, Sakura would be even meaner to the blond than Sasuke himself was to her. _Women._ He would never understand them. Still, he lay there thinking about the song that only nature could ever sing and lay there until he felt his breath even and his body slide into sleep.

Naruto sat in his position, staring into the stream for a while longer; the night was old by the time he realized he had dozed off sitting there. Stretching, he stood up, checked to see that he hadn't trampled his little flower, and began walking back to town. Realizing that he was no longer sure where he was, he guessed as to which way to go, the moon now hidden behind the trees. He soon found himself near a cluster of buildings. Approaching, he saw that they were houses. As he wandered through them, he found it strange that he wasn't very familiar with this part of town. He was yet to understand why when he saw a single person lying on the ground out behind one of the houses. Not understanding why someone would want to sleep there, he quietly crept in closer. The sleeper was Sasuke, so Naruto knew that he was in what was once the Uchiha clan's part of Konoha. Naruto moved in closer, surprised by what he was seeing. With only the moonlight, Sasuke hardly looked like himself—there was something about him, Naruto thought, that was almost…angelic? Naruto shuddered at the thought of Sasuke as an angel; he was far from being one. Still, seeing him like this made the blond feel strange. He stood next to his teammate for longer than he should have but couldn't decide what made the sleeping boy so attention-worthy all of a sudden. He seemed so different from his normal self. Almost…

Naruto caught himself on that last thought, not wanting to let it enter his mind while Sasuke was still in there. Those two ideas did not belong together. Naruto began walking away, now very aware of his need to get home. He walked along, trying desperately to relieve his mind of such ideas. Unable to do so, he knew what he had to do when he got home. He sat down on the edge of his bed, like he always did. _Distractions…_His mind immediately fell to the flower he had seen earlier that evening, and the girl it reminded him of. Nothing. Disappointed and not to be outdone by his body, he tried again and again. Still nothing. _Come on!_ He was frustrated now, and—after seven failed attempts—resolved to take care of things in the only way he knew how at the moment. _Sasuke._ Finally, sweet relief. Naruto knew that he was done sleeping for the night; he had to think about this. The one word he had forced out of his mind earlier came flooding back to him, assuring him that things weren't as bad as was making them. _Beautiful._ That was what Sasuke was…Naruto felt that his rival, the stuck-up Uchiha, was beautiful. Naruto kept thinking about the other boy. The more he thought, the more he liked what his mind showed him. _For once, I think I get why all the girls want you, Sasuke._ He was awake still and let thoughts about the pale boy fill him up. Rather than trouble him like before, they pleased him, warming his body. _I…I think I've fallen in love with you, Sasuke_.

Sasuke woke exactly once during the night. He heard the sound of footsteps, and leapt up just in time to see someone scampering off. Even in the dead of night, with the full moon above he had no trouble recognizing the orange blur dashing away from his house. _What's that moron doing at my house in the middle of the night?_ He wanted to call out to his useless teammate but decided against it. Instead, he chose to watch the other boy leave until he was too far off to see. Turning back to his lying position, he scoffed at the idea of running around in someone else's backyard at this ungodly hour…only Naruto, he assured himself. Trying to resettle himself into the grass, he found himself unable; something was nagging at him now. Naruto had approached without waking Sasuke. That shouldn't have been possible; Sasuke was too alert for that. How was he so deeply asleep? It was unsettling; had it been an enemy shinobi rather than Naruto, he would be dead now. Unnerved, he stood up and moved quickly into his house. He lay in his bed but was still unable to return to sleep. Tossing and turning, he found his mind returning to the birds from that evening, in particular the one that had begun the sudden departure of the entire flock. It was blue with an orange underbelly; Sasuke could not recall having ever seen one like it before. Perhaps it wasn't native to this area; he couldn't be sure. As his mind rolled over the image of the bird it was suddenly overlain with that of Naruto fleeing just minutes before. It was strange how the colors of the little creature matched so perfectly with the blond's obnoxious jacket and those eyes which would be so easy to get lost in, if only he would stand still.

Sasuke stopped himself after the last thought, finding it abnormal. _Naruto's eyes aren't that nice._ Soon enough, he found himself picturing them again from the rare close glimpses he had been granted. Cursing himself for being susceptible to such emotions, Sasuke rolled over and tried to push the moron out of his mind, only to let a new image invade it. It was the red sky with the barely-visible moon that Kakashi had told them about earlier. He was now calling the perverted teacher every foul thing he could think, as he recounted how he had been correct. On no other night would Sasuke have sat outside listening to birds chirp when he could have been training. Also, because the idiot probably believed their teacher, it was only because of tonight that Naruto was in Sasuke's part of town, so it was only because of the night that Sasuke was suddenly transfixed by the idea of Naruto. _That can't be the right word…What was that idiot doing around here, anyway?_ Sasuke puzzled, letting the images of Naruto's eyes fill the rest of him until he came to a conclusion that only the Feather Moon could bring: he wanted Naruto and there was nothing he could do about it. The more he thought about it, the less annoying and more endearing he found the blond's little idiosyncrasies. He knew this sudden change of heart wasn't good. It could ruin him…passions couldn't take away from his impending revenge. First things were first no matter how many seductive blonds were distracting him. _Why is his pull on me this strong? I can't succumb to little emotions like…_He cut himself before the last word, refusing to believe it. _No. I may not like it, but…I want to protect him. I have to go without him._ Tortured by everything crossing over itself, Sasuke slept, leaving further decisions for the morning.

Relieved but troubled, Sakura continued to breathe deep the smell of the forest and turned her eyes toward the moon. She felt herself smiling gently, enjoying the celestial orb's benevolent glow. She studied the dark and light parts of the nighttime guide, tracing out the legendary shapes. This way a man, that way a woman, this curve is a rabbit, and that one is a witch. She had heard stories for each of them but she knew that each one was just someone else's way of seeing things, just like the constellations that the stars carved out. Different people saw different shapes, which eventually spread to whole countries, reflecting on the different cultures of the world. Sakura went through a few of these in her mind, too, but she knew that there were many that she didn't know. She picked a region of the sky and began to seek out patterns that she could see on her own. As she detected a small number of pictures, a star began to shine rather brightly, and then moved across the sky. _A shooting star!_ She stared at it intently as it made its brief trip across the heavens. Even after it came to a rest and disappeared, she stopped herself on its final position for several seconds so she wouldn't miss any of this phenomenon; this was her first time witnessing such a thing. Still excited, she bathed in the light of the moon, waiting for what would be nothing.

After some time she calmed down, understanding that there would be no further showings from the star. She returned to her deep breathing as she let her gaze wander back to its spot on the moon. Clearing her mind, Sakura soon found it filling itself with images again. Sasuke still tried to push his way in, but now he was not to be outdone by her other teammate, the knucklehead. He was smitten with her—not that anyone would count that for much credit to Sakura—and far more confident in his abilities than he should have been. He was a slacker, an idiot, and an attention hoarder, and no one liked him for it. Yet tonight, Sakura felt herself empathizing with him. She knew that she didn't enjoy being by himself, but she could hardly imagine the pain that must come from being virtually alone for your whole life. She tried to understand what things were like for him, and kept coming to one dreadful little conclusion that she tried to no avail to ferret away into the deepest corners of her mind, even as she went to sleep. _He's going to have a rough life, tormented by disappointment and sadness. Naruto, I promise I _will _be there if you need me._

The next morning came too early for all three. They were all, as usual, earlier than their mysterious teacher, leaving plenty of time for them to linger around each other awkwardly. No one felt like talking that day; if you asked them, they might have told you that it felt like running into someone you'd had an uncomfortable dream about the night before. They stood around, gazing off into space, trying to avoid eye contact. It wasn't until the puff of smoke that signified Kakashi's arrival that the silence was broken. "Well I hope we all had eye-opening nights last night. I know I did." There was a chorus of quiet groans, followed by a chuckle from the masked man. "Now for today's training, we…" He went on, prattling about the exercise in no uncertain detail.

As the day carried on, they had to all work together a number of times, bringing forward all of the thoughts from the night before. Sasuke found his gaze lingering just a little too long on Naruto's eyes, and when the blond caught him he realized it pleasantly surprised him and made him blush. He fought not to let it show, though. What would Sasuke say if he knew? Sakura on the other hand found herself more able to concentrate. However, she felt an odd tension radiating from her two teammates. She couldn't place quite what it was, though.

At the end of the day, they went their separate ways. Sasuke was training at home again when he heard birds outside once more. He made himself go out and listen, but the beauty he had found the day before was gone now. He looked for the blue and orange bird but it wasn't around. Finding the song to be dull, he scoffed and returned to his solo training.

Sakura sat at her window again, breathing deep the perfume of the forest. Tonight, however, there was no feeling of wisdom. Rather, the forest breathed melancholy, and it only spread its mood to its lone witness.

Naruto made a beeline for his spot by the stream and, sure enough, there was a little flower, just like the night before. In the light of the day, however, it was more of purple than pink. He found more in the woods, and they too were purple; there were no pink ones to be found. He went back to the first and raised his foot to kick it. He stopped himself however, looked at the flower, and left for home.


	2. Harbor

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 2: HARBOR

This can't have happened. You're not supposed to leave! There are so few people who I care about the way I do for you …there are so few people who put up with me, care for me like you do. If you're leaving…I'm not going to be able to handle it by just smiling out at the world. I couldn't believe what I was seeing or doing the entire time we fought out there. You were supposed to be my friend! You were supposed to be my ally! The whole time we were fighting, I was thinking, our hatred for each other wasn't supposed to go past rivalry. What did you think you were doing? Nothing is that important! Nothing should ever take you away from us! You're too important for that.

I'm going to do what I can to keep my chin up. To keep myself optimistic. After all, I could feel it. I knew how things were. You liked me, after all…we were the same. We would have been so much more, believe me. I could tell that there was something deep down inside of you that made you want to stay here with me and just have the rest of the world melt away around us. Something in you loves something in me and I swear that I'll be here for as long as you need to be gone. I will wait for you; I will reach for you, pulling you back no matter how long it takes you to get your revenge. You will never cease being mine for as long as I live, this I swear to you. Nothing will change that, not even if I become the Hokage. You have become the ship off in the distance that I shall anticipate forever.

I will shine my light for you forever. I will forever hope that it reaches you, calling you, guiding you. Whatever happens, I will not stop; I can't. You mean too much to me. You may be out there wandering in the dark but I won't let that stop me. My candle will last as long as I am alive and its flame is my never-ending love for you. It will burn until there is no more wax or wick. I will call you home until you listen or until I can no longer call. You may not believe it right now but I know that there is nowhere else that you belong. I feel the pull between us. Please let my light conquer your darkness.

* * *

I get it now. My light might not be enough. You have a grand plan in mind and it has you so deep in the dark that you're scared of any light I might try to give you. You would rather die than come back no matter what I have in store. I think I know what you're feeling. That doesn't mean I'm going to be weak, believe me. I'm going to get stronger, stronger even than you. If I can't have you, if you won't let anyone have you…I'm going to stop you from what you're doing, even if that means falling in the process. I don't care if I have to die. You're what matters the most.

You need to realize that things aren't as bad as you think they are. There are people—at least one person, anyway—who remember the way you once were, and want that back, who believe that it can come back. Even now I could feel that the old love has not faded away; it lingers still, clutching at you. You might call it a parasite; I would prefer to call it an instinct. It is pointing you in the right direction, but the real parasites—your anger and the evil thoughts that others have lain upon you—have your made sense of direction useless. You may be gone for as long as it takes you to eradicate these parasites. Nothing is what you think it is; I can see this now.

Still, I feel that this is not over. I may have said that we will die together, fighting each other, but I don't believe it. I think neither of us will be fully willing to kill the other. We may get close but when it comes down to that essential moment we'll just give in and collapse. Then, you'll see what I mean. Then—and maybe only then—you'll understand what I've been trying to tell you this whole time. We were made for each other, you and me. We seem so different but that makes us fit together so much better. We mesh. Nothing else could be more right, and when it comes down to it we will both see this without a doubt in our minds. I want you back; I want my light to reach you. Can't you see that?

* * *

It's been over five years, and it's such a long time since I've seen you. I'm not afraid that I'll start to give up hope. I don't want to give up on you, and even after this long, it's still easy. I've wished, hoped, prayed, and begged, but you're still so far away from me. I've cried over you so much; you wouldn't even believe how many nights I've spent awake, weeping for you. It hurts me so much to feel like this. Nothing compares to this; the loneliness without you here was worse than any I ever felt while you were here, even before I knew I loved you, or even knew you. It is because of this pain that I refuse to give up on you, no matter what happens.

I've tried to fill the cavern that you left in my heart, oh how I've tried. After five years without you, Sakura decided I needed help, and she started setting me up on dates. They were mostly disastrous. That was until Sakura had a moment of brilliance, and set me up with Neji. His presence in my life, as a loved one and a lover, helps, I won't deny him that, but…he isn't you, and never will be. We fit together so well, he and I, but I can feel the flaws. I could never bear to tell him this, but he knows. When we're together, I sometimes wind up thinking about what would be happening if it were you and not him. I feel so guilty about treating him this way, even if it is only in my thoughts.

The guilt was worst, though, when I called him by your name in bed. He took me and calmed me, stopping what we were doing, but I thought from that moment that things would be uncomfortable. Neji was very understanding however and just held me until he felt me calm down. He whispered in my ear, telling me that everything was all right, that he would protect me. I lay there, wrapped in his strong arms, and let his words absorb into my brain. _Neji_ is here for me, _Neji_ loves me. I could tell myself all kinds of good things about Neji, but through it all—his words, his arms, his warm breath wafting over me—I was unable to tell myself that you were gone. I still shine for you; I hope that I will never let Neji claim all of my light.

* * *

Why did you have to go? You were just here, and you left again! Don't you get that I don't care about what you've done? Friend or foe, I want you back here! No matter how much I may love Neji, I still love you more. It shames me sometimes, but it is the truth. I can't make myself let go. I won't. You're too important to me. I could tell that there's some of that with you, too. You didn't even try to fight me today. I called out your name, and you lowered your sword. I was ready to take you back—and then you fled. I know that you still have unresolved problems, but can't I help you? Why are your problems too big for two people, but the right size for one? How can that ever make sense?

I know, though, that if you were to come back, I would leave Neji for you in an instant, and it would break his heart. It would shatter him, just like your departure did to me ten years ago. Maybe that's a problem we have to solve first, too. Maybe we have to fall out of love with each other; maybe I have to fall even more in love with him so that I'm not in love with you anymore. I don't know what the future's going to bring for all of us: Neji, Sakura, you, me, and the rest of Konoha all have a lot to deal with in the future, especially with the victory that your personal retreat gave us. Just…when you find that you truly are lost, look for the light in the port. I'll make sure that it shines bright for you.


	3. Hope on Fire

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

During brief absence from this site, the first version of this story seems to have disappeared. So now I'm posting it again, with three chapters this time, in hopes that it might stay.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 3: HOPE ON FIRE

Things are tough in Konoha. In the past six months, the painful news came about that the world is going to slowly phase out the use of shinobi. None of the villages will be keeping many, so they're doing more examinations. They're determining who is good enough to keep and who is on their way out.

On my first attempt, even at my fullest potential, I failed past any chance of being saved. I was immediately out of a job and out of any chance at a lifelong dream. There have been a number of rough times in my past, but nothing before then could compare to that single feeling. I was shattered, and I still feel shaken by it. Neji comforted me, as did most of our friends—many of them, including Sakura, lost their titles, too. It bothered me, though, that my lover was saved in the first round of tests. None of it matters now.

Neji was much more prepared for the rigorous tests than I was, and he made it through. He wanted to be ready for the second round of examinations. He started working on some new combat jutsu. I helped him—the little that I was able—and stood over his shoulder as the encouraging voice whenever I could. He practiced with one of his old teammates, Lee, most of the time—Lee had also passed the first round. None of that matters now.

There was one jutsu that Neji had devised but was still imperfect. I watched him make so many subtle changes, so many tries at manipulating chakra, so many new sets of hand signs…so many tries. It was a masterpiece in progress, this jutsu. It had become a new great thing for me to put my hope and dreams into, a new dream to follow. I once thought that perhaps I could feel the successes I would never know through my lover, the man who had done so much over the years to heal all of my pain, as he endeavored on. None of that hope matters now.

Neji wanted to be worth something. As the only member of the Hyuuga clan to pass the test, he felt it was his duty to show that the branch family members were worth more than protection. He needed to leave a mark on the family's history, something that would not be blotted out as long as the Hyuuga house still stands. His passion and all of his energy went into the perfection of this technique, which he claimed would revolutionize the way we fought. None of the efforts matter now.

One day he went out to train and spar with Lee. He had told me that the jutsu was ready for combat testing. I stood up to follow along with him, but he asked me not to.

"It's going to be more dangerous than normal today. I won't be able to guarantee the safety of anyone nearby. I won't let you put yourself in danger. Please, stay here." He kissed me. I pulled back, looking him in the eyes. I could see that he was certain and unwavering; I kissed him back. I quietly wished him good luck, and he left for the training grounds.

I left our little home to try again to find a job. I had asked at a few places—stores, mostly, but a few trade shops as well—what they might be able to do for me, but because of the sudden mass loss of shinobi positions, every possible opening everywhere I asked was already full. I soon made my way down to Ichiraku's—the place that I should have found obvious at first. The owner said that he would be happy to take on a second cook, and that I could start as soon as the next day, were I willing. I left there happy, but that feeling was fleeting.

I was on my way to buy some food for Neji—I don't know why, but he demanded meals other than ramen—when an explosion ripped through the town, hurting my ears and shaking the ground. I didn't worry about it at first, because I was used to things like that once in a while. This time, I was surprised by people running toward the place the sound had come from. I stopped and looked off where I had heard it, but only training grounds were that way. Surely nothing terrible had happened, I thought. Just a jutsu gone a little bit wrong.

I was still standing, looking into the distance, when someone came running up to me, shouting my name. "Naruto! Naruto! Naruto, something terrible has happened! Neji…his match with Lee…that new jutsu backfired! They sent me to get you…they're at the usual training grounds. Hurry!" Tenten ran off again, hardly giving me time to realize what had happened. When the words all came together, I started running. I didn't know what had happened, but I felt fear building inside of me with each step.

I knew the way by heart; Neji and I had trained here countless times when I was still a shinobi. It was deep in the woods, secluded from the town. As I ran, I thought about how powerful the explosion must have been, for it to reach the town like it did. With every step, my heart pounded; I thought it might explode, too. He had been a member of ANBU! He couldn't have made such a serious mistake…he had to be fine!

I tried to comfort myself as I ran, but it made me feel worse. How many horrible things might have happened? Had he disabled himself, or worse? I couldn't bear the images that were entering my mind now. They were all so horrible.

When I was close, I saw a crowd of people standing around something. I couldn't tell what they were looking at. I could see Lee, Neji's sparring partner for the day, standing, holding Tenten, and shaking. I couldn't see Neji. I felt a sudden terror rush through me, and I began to shout. I'm not sure if there were actual words coming out of my mouth then, or just sound, but I know that I felt myself shouting. Everyone looked up, and any noise I could have heard died away. They parted, just a little, to let me through. No one would look at me; all eyes went to the ground.

There was a pile of something like human flesh in the middle. I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but my fears came true when I heard a voice whisper, "I'm so sorry, Naruto."

The mass of flesh was all that was left of my Neji. Something had gone wrong in a way I didn't know was possible. I had studied his new jutsu; it shouldn't have been able to explode! Not like this…it would have barely been able to blow him backward if it went wrong. What could have happened? He was too good to do something stupid!

I wept. I hardly knew how I could cry so many tears, but they simply continued to flow. My body shook; breathing was difficult. I nearly collapsed, and soon found myself seated on the ground, holding the flesh as if it were a newborn baby; I kissed it softly. I've never been so gentle, so careful, or so sensitive to anything as I was then. I tried to pour all of my care, affection, and unbounded love into Neji at that moment, even though the body could feel nothing. I think people tried to console me then, but I could hear no sound. There were hands reaching out to me; I ignored them. I could think about nothing but my sadness.

I don't know how long I sat there, embracing Neji's flesh, weeping. It might have been five seconds; it might have been fifty lifetimes. I had no understanding of time then. I only recognized the world when I felt an arm reach around me, and a small voice mutter, "Naruto-kun…" I slowly looked up to see Hinata next to me. The expression on her face defied words; I didn't know what to call the emotion she showed. I was a little unsure of why she was there at first; it was only after I pulled myself a little bit out of my fog of mourning that I remembered that she was Neji's cousin. She had been particularly close to him; they were almost brother and sister. I eased the body into her arms; it was the family's duty to take care of him from now on. She took it just as sweetly as I had; I offered her my arm, like she had done for me.

The only thing that I have ever seen that might match the emotions I had felt that day was the expression on Neji's mother when Hinata gave her the body. The grief and the sorrow that covered her tear-soaked face were like none I had ever seen on a person before; I could hardly believe that I looked worse. She could only shake at first, it took some time for her to be able to reach out and clutch the traces of a human that used to be her son. She pulled the body in tight and wept onto it.

It felt that, as the crowd watched her, time stood still in our little part of the woods. I asked Sakura and Lee later; they too said that it seemed like the whole place might have been statues in those moments. There was hardly even a rustling in the trees then; the silence seemed complete. When his mother stood up, she started slowly walking back to town; we all followed behind her. On the way into town, I asked Lee about what went wrong.

Neji had been preparing a second new jutsu, one that he never told me about. It was many times more powerful, and dangerous, than the one I thought might have gone wrong. Everyone he had told the idea to had said it was crazy, that he shouldn't go through with it. They all said that the risks were much more severe than any possible benefits.

I wish he had listened to them!

I managed to make it to work the next day, although I'm still not sure how. I've been going all the time; it keeps me away from the apartment that is now mostly empty. Teuchi and his daughter understand that I'm not going to talk about everything that happened, and they leave the topic alone. I go there to work; there is no time for chat. I make the food the customers order, I serve it to them, I continue through my hours, and I leave; there is no more. Merely a way to put food in my own mouth.

The funeral was a blur. I remember the fire—his body had to be burned to stop bad effects of the jutsu from spreading—but not much more. His mother scooped his ashes into an urn, and led the family off. I believe that she planned to bury the ashes at the roots of a tree, so that he could stay with his family.

I wish I had been able to take some of those ashes!

I understand that they're his family, but I was his lover, the one to whom he had dedicated the last six and a half years! Why was I worth nothing? Legally, I was no more than any other resident of Konoha might have been. There was no value to the ashes—not monetary, anyway. Why couldn't I take a little reminder with me?

I spend a lot of time at home, now. I still work, I still appear outside of the house, but I only do what is necessary. Most of my time is spent crying; I think I drink more sake now than Tsunade. I always wear clothing that cover my arms up to my palms; I am afraid of what might happen if someone saw the new scars on my wrists. Everything feels so unreal now, only the pain seems natural.

My hope for any happiness in the future was burned along with Neji.


	4. Shine

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

During brief absence from this site, the first version of this story seems to have disappeared. So now I'm posting it again, with three chapters this time, in hopes that it might stay.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 4: SHINE

"Sad times have fallen on Konoha. No one was ready for the sudden mass firing of shinobi, but to make things worse we've had more people dying in the village now than ever. Poverty has stricken us, and starvation has become a factor. It's not the only thing, though—many depressed people killed themselves after the loss of their jobs. Konoha is a much less happy place now that such a radical shift in the world has started.

"Neji's death was one that no one saw coming. He was expected to be one of the few who could keep his job all the way through to the end, but the disaster a few days ago proved that hope false. His destroyed body was one of the most disheartening things I have ever seen.

"His funeral was brief; his family wanted it private, so they invited only a few people. Naruto was first on their list, and he asked to bring me along, for moral support. They did not hesitate; Neji's mother smiled softly and told me when the ceremony would be held. Naruto wept the entire time, and I silently held him close. He nearly collapsed when they started to cremate the body and could not bring himself to look up as the mother took the ashes into the urn. I brought him back home because I didn't think he was capable of finding his way on his own.

"I took the walk back to my apartment slowly, thinking things over. I climbed the stairs gently; I do everything with caution now. I dug my key from my pocket, and was more than surprised to find you here." I looked to my fiancé then, smiling softly. He took my lips with his, and held me close.

"That's life in Konoha…It's been so long since you've come to see me."

"I've been busy; I have a village of my own to run, you know. We've had our own disasters to take care of, but nothing on the scale of what I've heard of Neji's death…word of the disaster got to Suna, but I didn't know it was him until just now. That must be so hard for everyone in the village."

"It is, especially on the people who were still depressed about having been fired from the shinobi job. It creates an idea that there was no safe way for things to end." I paused, thinking a little bit about what I had seen around Konoha. "Although, I will say that there is one thing: the rates of marriages and births has gone up heavily in the past year or so. Perhaps people are trying to find new meaning in their lives, maybe they're finding something that was there all along, but was pushed aside by work. Maybe it's something else…any way about it, love seems to be in the air."

He gave a little grunt here; was it cynicism or agreement? "How do you know about this spike in weddings and children?"

"Tsunade decided to keep me on as an assistant when I failed the first shinobi retention test. She created many new jobs for people like me; I'm in charge of marriage licenses, divorces and records of births and deaths in Konoha…don't worry, I've told her about us. She's ready for me to leave, even if she's not happy about me leaving.

"It's funny, though…Neji and Naruto never came asking for a marriage license, even after what must have been near ten years…I could have granted them one, too. I still don't understand why…"

He moved his hand down to my stomach. "How's the little one doing?"

I added a hand on top of his. "She's well. Tsunade says that her growth is normal, and that she is due on time. Like I said, I've been doing everything with particular caution, to protect her, and I've been watching what I eat.

"It's funny, though…back when we first met, if someone asked me if I would ever become a mother, or if they asked if you would be a father…well, I would have thought the person was joking about you, and I probably would have beat the poor fool senseless if they hadn't implied that it would be Sasuke's child…" we both laughed a little here; he put his second hand on my stomach and began to gingerly massage it. "Now, though, I couldn't imagine it being anyone's child except yours. At first, I doubted how we would be as parents. Now, I look forward to a bright future. I think we'll be a wonderful family for our daughter."

I brought my other hand down now and took the one that was rubbing me in it. He squeezed my hand and kissed my lips quickly. "…I'm glad that you're so confident about this. I'm still scared that I might do something wrong. I want her to have a good life, but I have such a hard time trusting myself to be the kind of father that a child needs." He sighed. "What if I get everything wrong?"

I kissed him again, and grasped his other hand tightly, pulling them together. "You didn't think you'd make a good lover, or husband at first, right? Well, here we are, five years later. You'll know what to do when the time comes. That's what I've heard from everyone I've talked to. Just do what feels right."

He brought our hands up to his mouth and kissed my fingers softly. "You want her to be born in Suna, right? We're going to have to move you soon. If she's due on time, that's only about a month away, isn't it? We can't put it off much longer, Sakura. I've had my home cleaned and ready for you to arrive at any time, but everything needs to be taken out of here…" He looked around at my apartment, with my boxes and possessions scattered everywhere. "How are we going to get all of this to Suna?"

"Well, I had originally planned on asking Naruto and Neji to help…" I trailed off a little here. "I think I might ask Lee and Tenten. They've settled in to their place together now, so I think they'll be able to take time to help us. They both passed the first test, and the second aren't for a while yet, so they should be able to move us. Besides, we can take some of it after she's born. Just as long as there's enough room for the three of us, little things don't matter."

We were still now, simply taking in the short time together. He pulled me in close; I felt his chest rise and fall as he breathed. It had been so long since we had been like this, with nothing in the way of love. I smiled a little, letting a tear roll down my face. There was something about being together like this that I couldn't put into words, but that made me happy in a way nothing else could…Gaara just does that to me.

He held me a little closer here, sensitive to our developing daughter. He breathed deeply a few times then gently broke the silence. "How…how is Naruto handling Neji's death? You mentioned his reaction to the funeral, and I know he's a strong man, but…these things can be devastating for someone. Has he taken it harshly?"

I looked him in the eyes here and spoke in an even lower voice. "That's a severe understatement. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that happen to anyone.

"I used to see Naruto around town every day. He would always be around and about, talking to people, being his usual vibrant self. A day never passed without him making himself known in town, and the town had come to love the energy he brought, it seemed. Since Neji died, though…he's nearly disappeared. He works at the ramen stand now, and he goes out to buy food, but he's not around anymore. We only see him when it's necessary for him to leave his apartment. This reclusion is so unlike the Naruto everyone wants to love…it's disheartening.

"From what I hear, he's been hitting the bottle pretty hard, too. He never used to like drinking—you remember, at our wedding, he only drank when someone gave a toast, and then only a sip—but from what Tsunade says she's no longer her supplier's biggest purchaser of sake; Naruto is. It seems like the depression he's found himself in is only going to be a downward spiral. It's gotten really bad, and I'm starting to fear for his safety…I may want to come back to check on him every so often, after she's born, so nothing drastic happens…I don't think the village would be able to handle him, or anything that he might do in a depressed stupor…"

"He'll get through this; we'll make sure of that. Like I said, he's a strong man. It may take time, a long time, but he'll come around. He's pulled himself out of horrible situations before…I have faith in him, like you do in my ability to be a father. He'll come through with his head held high, shining like the sun again. It's the way he is."

"…I hope you're right. I would have a hard time if he died, too. We've been friends for so long, and he's so important to me…"

"I know, Sakura…he'll be fine, I'm sure he will. You don't need to worry too much. Even if it takes years, he'll come out on top of this." He held me there for some time, and I slowly returned to my earlier state of happiness. It was all too soon that he pulled away.

"You need to go back now?"

"Yes; Suna can't be without me for long, I'm afraid."

"Come back next week. I'll be ready to move with you then."

He smiled and kissed me again, putting enough passion in for the week to come. He turned and left with a sad smile on his face. I returned the expression, already counting down until the next time I could see him.


	5. Mission Street

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 5: MISSION STREET

Suna is so different from Konoha…I wasn't surprised about the desert, but the people are different here, too…or maybe that's just the way things seem to me after all that happened those years ago. Still, life goes on and I won't let something new throw me off track from life or love. Gaara holds strong to his position as Kazekage and runs the village's affairs efficiently. He made a new position for me in his office; I'm doing the same job I once was for Tsunade. It keeps me busy even though we don't need the money. I would never be content to sit back doing nothing while my husband has the entire place running.

Anarosu turned four a little while ago. Our daughter is as adorable as they come, and as full of life as I was at her age. When Gaara and I are at work, I leave her with some of the ladies in our neighborhood; they take turns running a day-school for the young children in Suna. At the end of the day, when I come to take her back home, I am often told by the mother in charge that day how wonderful she is with the others; when she is around, no one ever gets left out, none of the children left behind in the little lessons the ladies teach. Anarosu is always so helpful, they say, they wish there were more children like her. Hearing that always makes me happy.

I was packing for a short trip one day, after I had brought her home, and she was flitting in and out of my room, trying to see what was happening. I had brought her with me on a trip such as this once before, and she had said several times how she wanted to go again. I would bring her along this time and Gaara too, since he could get a little time away from work. I was preparing for us to stay my usual three days in Konoha, when Anarosu bubbled into the room.

"Mommy, what're ya doing?"

"I'm packing clothes for us to go on a trip, sweetie."

"Ooh! Ooh! Where are we going?"

"Do you remember Mommy and Daddy's friend Naruto, when we visited him a while ago?"

"Yeah! I liked him! He was funny."

"We're going to visit with him again. He's been sick for a while now, and he needs us to make sure he's still okay."

"…okay!" With that, she ran off. I smiled to myself, glad that simple things kept her happy, and not looking forward to making a trip with an excited toddler.

We set out in a hired carriage as soon as Gaara got home, and Anarosu was just as active as I expected. I looked over at her with a sad smile every time she called to us; my mind was on Naruto. He was still showing signs of grief at Neji's death four years later, and I wanted to make sure that he didn't get worse. Every time I went to visit him there were signs that he had been drinking heavily, and he always was sad, but he would cheer up a little by the time I left, and he never drank when I was around. I took these as good signs, but I still needed to make sure that he was okay…I had to rely on his employees at the ramen stand for reports of the six weeks between each of my visits; these varied too much to be good signs.

We arrived in Konoha on schedule, and went to Naruto's ramen stand first. I expected him to be working, but the cook on duty said he hadn't seen Naruto in a while. We then made our way to his apartment, and as we approached, I noticed movement and a light on inside. I knocked rather loudly on his door, but I got no reply. I was scared now—I knew from what I had seen that either there was an intruder in his apartment, or here was there and not answering the door. Neither was good. The doorknob didn't turn, so I had to make a decision. I kicked in the door, and was horrified at what I saw.

Naruto was lying in a small pool of blood, and a knife was near his hand. "Get her to Ino's place _now_." He didn't need any more of a cue; he scooped Anarosu into his arms and left. I dove into my bag and found some bandages that I had brought along for emergencies. Thankful for my sense of preparation, I set to work binding his open wrists. I never before moved that fast in my life. When I was done, I found that there was still a pulse in his neck, and heaved a sigh of relief. My work was not done, though; he still needed to get to a hospital. I was afraid to lift him myself, because I knew we needed to be careful of his bandages. Fortunately, Gaara had the presence of mind to come running back once Anarosu was safely out of the way.

As we hoisted Naruto up, careful of the placement of his wrapped arms, Gaara told me about all the questions our daughter had been asking as he hurried her to Ino's place. He had simply told her that Naruto's illness had gotten worse, and that he needed to be taken care of quickly. I was grateful that this calmed her; I knew she liked Ino from a prior visit of hers to Suna, so Anarosu would be happy while we tended to our troubled friend.

He was hurried in when we arrived with him at Konoha Hospital, and was quickly seen. Soon enough, though, Tsunade was brought in to see him, and she came to Gaara and me when she was finished.

"You found him quickly; that's amazing. Had you been any later…I understand that you've been critical to getting him through this depression, and I'm thankful for that, Sakura. Without you to remind him of what happiness is once in a while…this might have happened a long time ago. And no one would have found him.

"He's most of the way back to us by now…we got some blood pumped into him, and he seems stable. He'll sleep for a while, but he'll come around soon enough; within a day, at the longest. We'll send word to you when he wakes up; where will we find you?"

"We're at Ino's for the time," I told her, smiling gently. She sent us on our way, and we departed for my friend's house to find her playing with Anarosu. They looked up when we entered, and our daughter ran over and hugged my legs. Ino gave a sad smile.

"How's he doing?"

"Tsunade says he'll be awake within the next day." I signaled Gaara to take over with Anarosu, and sat down to tell Ino the whole story.

It was only about four hours later that a messenger from the hospital arrived to let us know that Naruto was awake at last; I hurried along, and told Gaara and Ino to follow with Anarosu about an hour later. I rushed myself to the hospital, and was showed to his room with little hesitation.

He was sitting upright in his bed when I entered, and he looked down when he saw me. I sat by his bed for a while, silently.

"That bad, huh?"

"…yeah. I…sort of lost it. I knew that I never really recovered, but…I always would try, for your sake. It worked a little, but…I always dropped back into that depression. I hate it, but I don't know how to fix myself. I want to be back to my old self. I miss that old me; this new one is horrible." He sniffled here, and I could see a tear in his eye when I looked up at him.

"We'll get him back. I'll come visit more often, Tsunade has doctors who specialize in that kind of thing…we'll get you out of this. Get you back to a good life."

I fixed my gaze on his face now. "You suddenly lost a lot in a short period, about four years back. First, it was the job you had aspired to your whole life. Then Neji died, and I moved away shortly after…there was no one else you were really close to, and it must have been torment for you…I never thought it would hit you so hard, though. You always seemed to be able to pull through anything."

"Yeah…I figured, at first, that it was the whole grief thing, and I'd get over the loss of Neji soon enough. His death may have been what triggered my low period, though. He had been everything to me, and he gave me something that I had never experienced before. He loved me in whole, as more than just a friend. In him, I had a family—if only a small one—for the first time in my life. It was an amazing feeling. More than ever, I felt that I had worth with him, and…when he died, that all left. There wasn't anyone who _needed_ me as much as I _needed_ him. It crushed me so hard…I still miss him more than I can say.

"But…that isn't all. What you said about what has me down." He adjusted his position here, and paused, collecting himself. I could see more tears welling up. I held my breath, expecting something overwhelming.

"I had down times for a while before that; years before. Neji…he helped relieve me of those. He…only ever really helped me forget just how much I missed Sasuke." I let out my breath all at once here. This was _not_ what I expected, even if it was believable.

"I've wanted to be close to him…I knew I loved him even before he left us, and that never really let up, even through my time with Neji. He helped me forget, but…there was a reason I never was willing to get married. I knew that, if I was ever able to get close to Sasuke again, I could forget about Neji too quickly to be decent.

"Most of these past four years, I've been upset more about Sasuke than about Neji. It only took about two months for my mourning Neji's death to turn into being depressed about Sasuke…I think about Sasuke all the time now. I dream about him a lot, too. I see him as I imagine he is now. He is very much like he was when he appeared outside of Konoha during that battle, six years ago. Strong, tall, and _so_ seductive…he's always distant in these dreams, though. Usually, I hear him calling my name, and I turn to barely catch sight of him in the corner of my eye before he disappears. This goes on, many times, until the dream ends just after he and I wind up facing each other, holding eye contact…he says my name just as I wake up and…erupt." He blushed here, turning away from me.

"Naruto! I…what…don't…why…that…no…that's not! Private information! I don't want…oh, God!" I shuddered violently, and looked over to him. He was genuinely sobbing now; the solitary tears were a thing of the past. He had been for a minute or so, if I had to guess. I moved over next to his bed and hugged him.

"Naruto…I know you miss him; I know it must be horrible. And…after hearing what you said about that battle, I feel that, if Sasuke is still out there, still alive, he's thinking about you, perhaps even more so than when he was still here. Things will get better, though, you have to believe that. The old Naruto, the lively, happy one won't come back by himself…you have to help him. Try, for me, if not for your own sake, please?"

He trembled a little, and I held him for a while. Sooner that I thought, the door opened again and Gaara walked in, leading Ino and Anarosu. "Naruto…you have more visitors here to see you." He sniffed loudly here, and I got off the bed to let him turn. He lit up when he saw the little troop at the entry way. Anarosu shuffled over to the bed and looked up to him. Smiling, she climbed onto the chair after I vacated it, and proceeded to kiss Naruto on the nose. We all laughed a little, and Gaara and Ino came over to the bedside to talk to him a little. When I saw that he was in a better mood, I pulled Gaara out of the room for a moment.

He too was surprised by the revelation Naruto had given me, but kept his mind and heart open. I told him that I planned to make my visits to Konoha more frequent until the doctors said his depression was gone; he approved. I made a few other big requests to him, on Naruto's behalf. He didn't hesitate; I was delighted. We returned to the room, and stayed in Konoha to keep Naruto company for the three days we had planned. When we left, I told him to expect me much more often. I left a little note for him in his apartment, after we put the door back in.

"_If Konoha won't, Suna will with open arms."_


	6. My Medea

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Lots of thanks to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed to, or favorited this story. Each one of you means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 6: MY MEDEA

"It would have been perfect. After all those years of trying, I had realized the one thing that it would take to finally complete the Eye of the Moon. The Demon-Fox' host had a weakness that I knew now, and I had control over it.

"It would have been simple enough. The host was obsessed with Sasuke. I had seen this. Having lain in wait for a number of years, we prepared to soon march on Konoha and lure him out. Sasuke's presence would nearly force him to emerge. We could have taken him without effort—the Konoha shinobi were no match for the forces I had amassed. We had perfected battle strategies for every possible outcome. We had been ready for the world to be bowing before us.

"The plan had relied on the knowledge that the host would engage Sasuke immediately. Then, some of my forces would emerge from hiding and cut them off from the rest of the battle, so we could capture him easily. From there, the rest would have been trivial.

"As we swiftly made our way toward Konoha, I spoke with Sasuke. 'You are prepared for this, are you not?'

"'A foolish question. You already know the answer.'

"'Of course. It…makes me more confident when I hear you say it, though. You will be sure not to kill him, no matter what happens?'

"'Again, you already know the answer. I will have backup to keep him from killing me. There is nothing that concerns me here; you should see this the same way.'

"I gave a slight smirk behind my mask at this, and turned to look him in the eye. I took control over him then, to be sure that nothing could go wrong. I kept my hold loose, but I made sure that if he tried to free himself, he would only be pulled further into my grasp.

"The raid on Konoha started with four of my fighters going about the town and causing significant trouble. I wanted the forces to draw attention, but not the entire forces quite yet—that would come soon enough. My obvious troublemakers drew the attention of the village shinobi, and led about ten of them to the outside of the village. There, a larger number of my forces appeared to engage them in battle.

"Exactly as I had expected things to go.

"Oh, Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, come to me! I seek your power to bring this world to peace. You alone are what I need to set this world right; it is long in tumult and fear that need not go on.

"I kept Sasuke visible but out of harm's way as the fighting went on. I wanted to make sure that word of his arrival got back to the village so that the host would want to come and join in the battle. Without his appearance, the entire thing would be a waste of time.

"The Konoha forces swelled in number. My forces held up as expected and halted all of the Konoha attacks. Nothing could have gone wrong with this plan, it seemed. But the host was yet to arrive.

"Just as I was about to send more people into the village in an effort to draw him out, he appeared. That peculiar boy who could never keep himself away when he knew Sasuke was around came bounding across the battlefield, hoping to engage the young man who had once been his comrade.

"It was about then that something in my plan failed.

"He screamed out Sasuke's name, and I sent my puppet to start fighting, when I felt something like a popping bowstring inside my head. From my hidden perch, I saw the two staring each other down, preparing to fight. Then, of his own accord, Sasuke lowered his sword.

"A splitting sensation seared across my head, and I heard myself screaming the word 'retreat' before falling to the ground. Something had broken Sasuke free from the mental grasp I though to be inescapable.

"It would have been perfect. After all those years of trying, I had realized the one thing that it would take to finally complete the Eye of the Moon. The Demon-Fox' host had a weakness that I knew now, and I had control over it…"

"And he's been like this ever since that day?"

"Yep. Six years sitting there, telling the same story, over and over. They've tried to kill him—I don't even know how many times, and they've always failed. From what he says, most people say that Sasuke seeing Naruto again was what triggered the split between their minds. That forced split is what supposedly drove him to this state."

"And he's why they've drastically cut away as shinobi?"

"Exactly. There had been talk beforehand of demilitarizing, but while he was still around, it would have been too dangerous. The rest of his forces were killed that day, except Sasuke; he fled past anywhere we searched. It still puzzles me…the prisoner was trying to place the entire world under his control, so there would be peace."

"It's funny that his intentions seem to have succeeded…we've had sustained peace since then, something that never happened before. Madara Uchiha…a man like few others. He brought peace to the world by failing to bring peace."

* * *

AN: Well, we've reached the halfway point, the end of 'part one,' as it were. We've also now had the shortest and longest chapters of the story.

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated!


	7. Shasta

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Lots of thanks to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed to, or favorited this story. Each one of you means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 7: SHASTA (CARRIE'S SONG)

I don't even know how long I've been walking, now. Six years? Seven? It's nothing but a blur. I keep trying to return to my home, desiring familiar territory so badly I can smell it, and whenever I get within a day's walk from the town, I change my mind in fear and turn about on my heels, scampering away like a scared rabbit. I don't want to put myself in danger by going back there, I don't want to wander around forever, and I'm not ready to die yet…there's not much else that I could do.

My head has been hurting a lot these past few months, and I don't really need to guess why. It seems so out-of-place, but it's just one of those things—after finding myself alone, without any allies, money, or strength, and starved in the middle of the woods in the Land of Lightning. I know that I've done horrible things, and that there's no excuse for any of it, but…my head still pounds, and I've started rubbing my temples, trying to ease the pain.

As the sun sets, the sky turns the bright red-orange that I'm so familiar with from my youth, and I begin to recall potent smells from my home, all those years ago. Ramen, of all things, is prominent—probably a tribute to the young man who hasn't left my thoughts in all the time since I left. Has it been ten years? Fifteen? The nostalgic smells have brought more memories, flooding back to me, and I start to try to pull memories together.

Soon, the Hokage Monument will come into my sight. More memories rush back as it becomes clearer over the horizon, and I clutch my head again, hoping to clear my headache while sorting through the nostalgia flood that is now bombarding my brain. It does not work; I begin to feel weak and slump on the ground, leaning against a tree. Soon, with the monument just out of sight, the deluge abates, and I can stand again and continue, hoping to survive my own subconscious.

As I walk, I begin to feel weaker, and hungry. To my luck, there's a small building ahead; it's got a sign about being an inn and tavern above the entrance, so I slide through the creaky wooden door to see a nearly empty scene; a young woman stands behind a counter, cleaning a bowl, but there is no one else in sight.

"Hi, stranger, have you been on the road for a long time? I'd be more than happy to feed any hungers you have," she said with a seductive wink.

"A pot of tea, as well as whatever food this will buy," I reply flatly to her, placing a few coins on the counter in front of her and sitting at a table nearby. She smiles, takes the money, counts a little, and goes back into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she comes out with a pot of boiling tea and a cup for me to drink from. "You food will be out in just a minute or two, sir. Enjoy the tea!"

As I sat there, sipping the tea slowly, I kept trying to put words together in my head. I wasn't yet resolved to go back to Konoha but, since I doubted that they would welcome me with open arms, I had to be ready. I didn't want to improvise a conversation that could be the death of me. I knew that I could never excuse anything that I had ever done, and that I could easily be led away to my death, if the wrong people found me first.

Nothing came to me easily; the waitress brought the food out and I began eating before I even had a complete sentence in my mind. As I ate, a small band of musicians entered and began to set up their instruments in the far corner of the room; I assumed that they were expecting a rather large crowd for dinner.

I turned my thoughts back to my return, expecting all of the possibilities. I kept seeing myself getting killed brutally, and getting led on by falsely friendly villagers. Worst of all…I know that there's one person in the village who would want to take me back, more than anything else—and he could end up getting hated worse for it. The one person who I might be going back for could end up dying trying to protect me, the worst of outlaws. Where is the justice in all of this? Why can't I just be content to stay away, or die, or better yet, why can't I just _not_ have feelings for this poor soul?

Oh, that was right. The last time I was in Sunagakure, I had been injured in a fall, and as I left from being tended by the medic-nin, a little woman stopped me, and spoke to me for a while, explaining a few ideas to me.

"No, you're never _truly_ alone," she had said, patting me on the arm. "Your friends, those who are truly important to you, will always be close, in spirit. The memories of the times you've spent with them will carry you through even the toughest of times."

"Those whom you truly love, through thick and thin, through years apart, through all your life, they will always be there, in the depths of your soul. Don't be afraid to let them comfort you, especially in hard times. It's those memories, those treasured people, who keep us hanging on. Nothing else, in our most desperate of moments, can bring us back to our senses and keep us gripping onto reality and sanity. Remember that, my child, as you go out into this wicked world"

I wasn't really sure whether or not I should believe her to the point where I made a mad dash to get away from her once she finally stopped talking, but it seems that my body made its decision, without letting me in on the deal. I had, in fact, been thinking about people who had once been important to me almost constantly since then, and I had, in fact, felt better about myself. In an offhand way, it depressed me; I hadn't given much thought to many of these people in so many years that it was painful to bring them to the foreground now.

It was only now, after I was about halfway done eating my meal, that another customer entered the room. He was dressed in a white coat without adornments on it, and he was effectively nondescript. Like some villager whom I had once met by chance, or perhaps one of the tens of thousands of people whom I'd seen since I'd been wandering. A nobody who was nothing to me, except for the fact that, as he was giving the lone waitress his order in the other corner of the room, he pointed in my direction. When she walked off, he came over to me and sat down at my table.

"Hi, stranger. What brings you to this little place?"

"Hunger, mostly, and a bit of thirst."

"But to this inn, instead of any other? It's off the main roads by a good distance. Not the sort of place most people would go out of their way to visit."

"I'm just wandering. I don't have a real destination in mind; I go wherever the next whim tells me to."

There was a moment of silence, which I tried to fill by paying attention to the musicians, who were now rehearsing a song for the evening's performance. However, finding myself unable to understand the singer's garbled vocals, this became difficult; there was nothing to follow easily, no story to grasp, no narrative to be touched by. A second pot of tea soon arrived for my companion, and he began sipping too soon; he burned himself.

"Ah! That happens every time I come here…I can be such a moron!" He laughed, knowing that he would do this sort of thing.

I felt a pang inside, reminded of someone from my past. _No, it's not him. Too different from how he was…not the same man, certainly._ I sighed audibly, and looked over at the musicians again.

My new companion, noticing my sideways glance, stood up and went over to the band, who had just finished their song. He spoke to them with an inquisitive look on his face, and they all nodded and adjusted their instruments. As he walked back to the table, his food arrived—it was a triple order of the meal I had just eaten.

As he sat down, he said a word or two over the food, and began shoveling it down his throat. As the band struck up their song, I opened my eyes wide at the spectacle before me. _If I didn't know any better…_

* * *

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated!


	8. Homecoming

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Lots of thanks to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed to, or favorited this story. Each one of you means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. —CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 8: HOMECOMING (WALTER'S SONG)

I walked in, not surprised to see that the place was nearly empty, and immediately noticed the only other customer. He looked like someone from my past, so I thought I should talk to him. The usual waitress greeted me then, and I told her that I would take my usual order, and that I would be sitting with the man near the counter. She agreed, and hurried into the kitchen.

I talked to the other man for a while, and noticed that his eyes kept darting to the band in the corner, so when he was quiet, I went over to them and requested a song, hoping to see if I got the right reaction out of my friend. Returning to the table, I found that my meal had arrived; I began eating immediately.

My friend's eyes grew wide as I ate. "Have you never seen anyone eat quickly before? You look like it's such a strange thing!"

He shook his head a little. "No, it's just…when I lived around here, when I was young, I knew someone who ate like that. Haven't seen him in years, though."

I could feel my face light up as he said this. _One step closer. It could be him, you know._ "You're from around here? Which village?"

"Konohagakure, but I don't think I'm going back there any time soon."

I stopped talking, looking at him for a moment. I decided that he didn't look enough like my old friend to say if it was him right away, so I shook my head and went back to eating.

"What was that?"

"You look like someone I used to know. I think I'm mistaken, though. But, I live in Konoha. We've dropped the rest of the name now, since we aren't really hidden anymore—ever since everyone agreed that shinobi were no longer needed. It's just Konoha now. Still—maybe we knew each other, when you were still there!"

"I don't think so," he said flatly, staring past me. "You're…a bit older than he would be now. Probably by five or ten years, if I had to guess."

"I could be someone else you knew…"

He cut me off. "No, you don't really resemble anyone I remember, except for this same person, a little. Not worth worrying over."

There was another pause. Once I finished my food, I asked him, "What brings you back to the Konoha area? You said that it's been a long time since you've been here. If you've been away for a long time, why all of a sudden?"

He was silent for several seconds. "…I don't really know. Ten years, fifteen years since it was my home, and I'm back here again…because I want to be able to stay somewhere again. Because, as much as things won't be perfect there, they'll be a lot better if I go back than they have been while wandering around the world. I'm still not sure if I really do want to go back there, though, because…I'm not sure if anyone will remember me. That would almost be too hard."

He had spoken without much emotion, so I guessed that he was lying, but he definitely had a good reason not to want to come back to Konoha. I pushed onward.

"For a long time, I wanted to get out of Konoha, too. Everyone there seemed to hate me, and for something that I didn't even do. Then, there came a time when I finally had felt that I had made friends…but, one of them left; a traitor to our village. Twenty years ago now, nearly, and I've never stopped waiting for him to return for one second of that time."

He nodded, tilting his head a little. The waitress came and took our dishes as I continued, and I began to hear people rushing in to the room behind me.

"It was rough on everyone…we had all expected so much out of him, and he could have been one of the best shinobi to ever walk the face of the earth, but…"

I trailed off, still hoping that I might, by some off chance, be right. Was this my friend, sitting in front of me?

"…We should leave here, for now. I think they're going to need the table." I looked around and, sure enough, the dining room was crowded now. We both stood up and walked outside, where we could still hear the music from the band playing.

"Even though I'm no longer a shinobi, I'm still happy in Konoha. I'm working in a job that keeps me happy and fills my stomach. Some folks think that I could have done a lot better for myself, but…since I can't be a shinobi I've found the next best thing." I smiled, remembering the joy that work gave me. Keeping people in good spirits brought a smile to my face and warmth to my heart, after all; practically since I had been forced to retire from being a shinobi I had known what I wanted to do.

"What was that song that you had the band play? It seems to still be playing in there."

Taken aback by the sudden question, I looked at him for a moment before answering. "It's called _Homecoming_, and it's about a man who wanders the world, working, never really knowing what his life's all about. When it opens, he meets a young woman from around where he grew up; it sends him on a deep introspective journey."

"He questions his whole life, and his beliefs, trying to find truth. In the end, he realizes that home is wherever he needs it to be."

I hesitated, and I could see that he was thinking things over. He was silent until the song stopped playing inside the building, when it erupted with applause from the diners. A more upbeat, modern song started next, and he spoke.

"You said that you live in Konoha still, right?"

"Right."

"…Take me there. I need to go back, see some of the places I once knew, maybe find an old friend or two of mine, and live again. Even if I have to leave quickly. Please?"

This threw me off; it was so unlike the person whom I thought this was. Could it really be him?

We walked around for a bit, and he was amazed to see all of the changes that had taken place since he had left. It was funny; he had said that he had been away for ten or fifteen years, but nearly everything that he remembered was older than that; some had disappeared almost twenty years ago.

"Hey, would you mind if we stopped here for some food? I'm hungry," I said, pointing to a small food stand on the side of the road.

His eyes got wide and he grunted a little, and I felt my face light up. "Seriously? We just ate, not a half an hour ago. If you must…" I grabbed his wrist and started pulling him in a different direction. "Hey, where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough. I hope you remember this place; you should." A few minutes later, we arrived outside my small apartment; he questioned me as to where we were.

"I don't remember this neighborhood."

"Wait just a moment!"

I pulled him inside, and he searched the entire place with his eyes, finding no sign of what he should remember. "I think you're mistaken," he murmured as I ran into my bedroom to grab something that he needed to see.

"Look at this, jerk!" I shoved the picture frame under his nose, making him pull back a little. He took it from me, and as he stared at it, and as he thought about the last word to come out of my mouth, he came to a realization.

"Naruto!" He nearly flew at me, embracing me to the point where I couldn't move. I heard gentle sobs coming from my long-lost friend. "I…I barely recognized you! It's been such a long time!"

"Twenty years, nearly." He stopped for a moment at this, and relaxed his grip.

"I _can't_ be thirty-three years old…"

"Almost. It doesn't seem like it's been that long, does it?"

"No. But…how did you know it was me? I hardly look the same anymore."

"You still look enough the same that I thought it was you as soon as I walked in to the inn. Your story, or the part of it, made me think it could be you. You gave it away when you made your trademark scoff at Ichiraku Ramen, though. _I_ own that place now, by the way. I have for five years." I grinned at this, exuding pride in my accomplishment.

"And it still hasn't burned to the ground? I'm amazed, moron."

"Yeah? You should know better than to think that _I_ would burn down a _ramen_ stand." Something came to me at that moment, and I lingered on a thought. "Umm…"

"What is it, moron?"

"Well, you see, the thing is…although I've forgiven you after all this time, and some of the people have too…the Daimyo…hasn't. You're not going to be allowed to live here for very long; they may even throw you out as soon as they learn that you're here."

"Well, I suppose I could find somewhere else to live…"

I began to cry silently at this, knowing that if I tried to speak, I would begin sobbing. "What's wrong, Naruto?" He put his arms around me again. I tried to answer, but I ended up as I guessed: unable to control my lungs or tears.

Soon, I gasped out the words I was looking for between violent sobs. "I don't want…to…to lose you again…it's just…you've been gone…gone so long, Sasuke…and…and I…I don't want to…have you…so far away…Sasuke, I…ever since that…that night with the…the…Feather Moon, or whatever…I've felt…that there's something…different…between us, you know…Sasuke, I…I'm in…in love with you…and I don't want…to be sep…separated from…anyone I love, believe me."

There was a quiet moment, after which Sasuke pulled me tighter. I could feel him talking into my hair. "We'll find somewhere together. We'll find a little village somewhere, a place that will take me, will take _us_, and you can move your ramen stand there. We can live together, as long as we're both alive. Naruto…I've noticed it too; it's why I've been trying to force myself to come back here all this time. I never would have let myself put a word on it, but I guess you're right. I love you too, Naruto. I love you so much that it pulled me here, somewhere I've been afraid to go, after all these years."

There was another long silence, in which I finally stopped crying. "Maybe…maybe, since Gaara's still in charge over in Suna, we can go live there, and be with him, and Sakura, and Anarosu…"

"Sakura's living in Suna? Who's Anarosu?"

I told him, and he reeled a little. "Wow…it must have been tough on you, Sakura moving away like that." We talked for a while, about everything that had changed since he left, even Neji. We were sitting on the edge of my bed now, arms lightly wrapped around each other, just talking.

Some hours later, when we had both been yawning for some time, we rolled into the bed, and he kept his arm around me, under my body. "Finally, after all this time away, after wandering, trying to come back…finally, I'm home." He kissed my forehead lightly and closed his eyes. Soon enough, his breathing was slow and steady, and I felt myself slipping back into sleep.

* * *

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated! Many, many thanks to the two wonderful reviewers who let me know what they thought about the last chapter.


	9. Anna Rose

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Lots of thanks to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed to, or favorited this story. Each one of you means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are greatly appreciated—CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 9: ANNA ROSE

It's another quiet night in Suna and life like this is amazing. I'm here, in what's been my home for the past five years, with the love of my life, and the people whom can truly be called my family. It's a quiet, warm, clear night, and as I lie here, unable to sleep, I'm looking out at the sky, watching the stars, and holding my beloved Naruto. His breathing is slow and even; his nose twitches a little. I move my hand along his arm gently; he recoils a little, and then returns to dreaming.

I watch his chest rise and fall for a minute or two then look back up to the stars. These quiet moments are my favorites, so much of a better thing than my life as it was before this…I'm so thankful to Naruto for taking me back, and to Sakura and Gaara for opening their arms and the arms of Suna to us when I was forced out of Konoha.

I close my eyes again and try to sleep; I feel drowsy but I stay awake. I let calming thoughts rush into my head, hoping to ease away any worries from the day.

Naruto didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence when he had asked Gaara and Sakura if Suna would welcome us; he had told them how I had been kicked out of Konoha, and that he wanted to stay with me, and then he got as far as, "So we were hoping…" when they both said, "Suna will be more than happy to take you." I was accepted, _wanted_ even, for the first time since my family was alive, truly. I moved in to our current house starting that day, and within a month all of Naruto's belongings were there, as well as his whole ramen stand, intact—I'm still not sure how he did that.

And then, there's their daughter, Anarosu. She just turned thirteen a month ago, and she's a near-perfect mix of her parents. Even her hair, which is a peculiar reddish-purple, floats between the colors of her parents, pink and maroon. She calls both Naruto and I "uncle"; it pleases both of us to be treated as family in such a way. She loves both of us dearly, and treats me more like a friend than a relative sometimes, telling me things and asking me not to tell anyone, especially not her parents. It always makes me smirk a little, and I try to be good to her—I will only tell the things that are too important to keep hidden.

And, thinking of young ones, there's a street orphan who has taken a liking to Naruto and me. He's nine years old, most people call him Ryo, and he's a veritable ball of energy. He spends a lot of time around Naruto's ramen stand, and eats there basically every day. He always has multiple bowls of noodles, sometimes as many as six, and chats with Naruto all the while. His life is crazy from what I've heard; he lives under a lean-to in an alleyway near the shop, and he keeps a small dog called Inu; it keeps him company when no one else will, and they keep each other warm on colder nights.

Recently, Naruto has started saying how quiet it can get around our house after Anarosu leaves; whenever he does this, he goes straight into talking about Ryo. I think he wants to adopt the boy. I…I'm hesitant, but I know that it will make my fiancé happy, and I know that Ryo will be better off here with the two of us than he could ever be alone.

I open my eyes again, and turn to look at Naruto. It seems he is still dreaming. A small smile crosses his face. I close my eyes and drift off.

My mind seems particularly active tonight; dreams abound. I'm running, trying to get to something. I don't know what's so urgent, but I can't stop myself, or even slow down. Time's running out; I have to be there before…be where? Before what? I don't know, but I charge onward.

A left turn, a right turn. Another right turn, the lights become dim. My pace quickens, I can see a figure on the ground ahead of me; I know that this is my destination.

The figure is small and childlike. It seems to be sitting, although I still can't quite tell from this distance. There seems to be a voice emanating from it, although any words are unintelligible. I continue to approach it, soon I can see in better detail. It is a child, no older than ten, sitting crouched on the ground. I am nearer now; the figure is calling out to me and waving its arms. I can't make out the words, though.

I'm in front of the figure now; it is Naruto as a child. "Hey! Hey! There's someone else here, believe it! I've been here by myself for so long, believe it. There's no one here for me, but then you come here! What's your name? Who…" The dream-Naruto continues talking, but soon fades away to nothing; I wake up in a sweat.

I look down at my beloved next to me; he is sleeping peacefully still. I smile and turn over and sink back into sleep.

It is morning now, and as I wake, I realize that I am alone in the bed. I smell food cooking in the kitchen; I get up and follow my nose to find Naruto working at the stove. I walk up behind him and embrace him lightly. He makes a small, inquisitive sound, turning his head a little.

"I was thinking…"

"Hm?"

"Have you given any thought to us adopting a child of our own?" I could feel his muscles tense here, a smile stretching across the face I couldn't yet see. "I mean, we both love having Anarosu around and you're always so sad when she leaves…I think we'd be able to take care of a young one well enough, don't you? There's always that young friend of yours, Ryo. He could use a home, and…"

He interrupted me. "In a heartbeat. You know, I was going to ask you the same thing…"

* * *

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated!


	10. Passage

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I got three reviews so like I promised, I'm updating early! I want to thank my reviewers so much for the time they take, even if it is only a little, to let me know what you think. I love all of you!

I plan on updating the story every time I get three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are greatly appreciated—CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 10: PASSAGE

I woke up here some time ago. Time is irregular; there is no sun or moon to mark one day from the next. I don't really know much, only that there are other people, whom I have never met before first waking up, here with me. No one really seems to know why we're here, but we all experience hallucinations from time to time, and everyone who talks about them says that they seem very familiar in a way they can't describe. I had one today, for the first time. During mine, another girl, who was undergoing the same thing, sang an eerie song. I didn't catch the first few words, but it went like this as I saw the images and heard the vague sounds.

There's a crowd of people in the first vision, and they're all looking to the ground. I can't see their focus at first, until the view moves to a point from the sky; it is a mangled, broken, bloody mass that might have once been a human body. Everyone around is weeping for the unfortunate individual whose life is no more as one of the mourners is talking, hardly more than a mumble, and gesturing and pointing a

"Nothing anyone could have done," I hear his nondescript voice say. "It was a hit-or-miss thing. We all warned him not to try, but…he persisted. He tried a little bit too hard to be the best and…this is where it got him."

"Nothing at all? Are you sure?"

"Yes…It called for a lot of energy, and he didn't have it in him…it was either draw from the environment, or him…"

A young woman came up behind the speaker and embraced him gently. "If it's like you say, and there was nothing you could do, then you need to remember that. I know it's hard, losing him, but there's nothing more to it. Stay strong. Your tears won't bring him back."

He turned around and held tight to the woman, shaking. "It was only supposed to be a sparring match…it shouldn't have turned out like this…"

Someone new runs up now, shouting inaudibly. I see a face that screams of familiarity, but I have no recollection of who the person is. Everyone turns as he approaches and they all hush as he draws near. They move aside for him and he flies to the body, clutching it close to his heart, sobbing, and convulsing more than any other of the mourners. He kisses the body a few times, as gently as a person should treat a newborn. The others swarm around him and offer words of sympathy and comfort, what little there is in this.

Two women appear, walking in slowly now. They are both silent. The older one is shaking violently, tears streaming down her face. She makes no noise; not a word, not a sob, not a whimper escaping from her lips. She collapses after a minute or so, and the younger one crouches down to her, holding her. A girl from the crowd, about the same age as the crouching woman, notices them and hurries over.

The younger of the new arrivals bursts forward, rising immediately from her squatting position and bolting to the crowd. They have turned back to the body now and do not notice her at first. She shouts, says that she is his cousin, his family; she says that she needs to see his body. Slowly, people realize what they are hearing and they turn to let her in. She finally reaches it and approaches the still-weeping lover with a little caution, holding her hand out to him. She puts it on his shoulder and he looks up into her eyes. He hesitates and then hands the body to its family. She too spends several minutes holding it then, slowly and gently, carries it to the distraught mother.

My view becomes one from the skies again, and I can see people in masks crouched in the trees nearby. One of them gives a signal and they all remove their masks for a moment. There is stillness in the woods, one that could make any newcomers doubt whether the people there are alive or mere statues.

* * *

Since my first hallucination I met the girl who was singing the haunting song. She doesn't talk much and doesn't say what her song was about. We have to figure that out for ourselves, she says. We have to make ourselves remember, stop forcing our bad memories away. I'm not sure what she means.

I had another round of hallucinations today. The singing girl went through another song, in time to my visions again.

There are visions of the mangled body again. This time, he is being carried on a thin bed toward a pile of wood. His body is placed on as his mother, the cousin from last time, and a few others are gathered close around; some from the last group are crowded further behind them. Everyone is dressed in monochrome.

The body is gently laid on the wood and it is set on fire by a torch in the mother's hands. It burns quickly; there may have been oil on it. Soon there is only ash left.

The wind picks up and the ash starts to swirl around. As it gets stronger it blows away, spreading across the horizon. The mother hurries forward and, procuring an urn, scoops some of the ashes into the vase with the lid. She pulls out a book with the word "Journal" written on it next, she pours something on it, and lights it. When it is in cinders, she adds some of it to the urn which is then closed. She weeps a little more as she holds the vessel close to her heart and sways a little. Soon the members of the funeral party go their separate ways.

My visions follow the mother and the rest of the deceased's family. They go back to what may be the family home where there is a tiny, uprooted tree near a hole. They all circle around the hole and the mother says a few words as she opens the urn and sprinkles in the ashes. She lifts the tree and plants it then waters it a little. Each member of the family touches the new addition to the landscape as they go into the house.

I am back at the funeral; this time the visions follow the vibrant once-lover of the poor victim. He goes to a small apartment, where he pulls a full bottle of sake from a corner. He drinks most of it straight from the bottle.

The visions of him zip forward. There is much drinking and drunkenness, much loss of health, and much deterioration of life. The motion soon slows down, and I see him in full detail. He is weeping, a bottle in one hand and a knife in the other. He is saying something, is it the late lover's name? He lifts the knife up and moves it to his hand; I can see multiple thin scars here. He goes to cut himself, and moves the blade away from his wrist then back again. Ten times, twenty times, thirty times he repeats these actions, until he slumps over, sobbing loudly. He is speaking through the tears but the convulsion and the alcohol make him unintelligible.

I see the mother now; she is putting laundry on the line while a distant look plays across her face. She sighs a little and then speaks. Some words are blurred out.

"_…why didn't you get married to _? You two were together long enough, even living together…why did neither of you propose? You could have been such a wonderful couple…such pride for our family! And, you could have even come to raise a family of your own if you wanted, although I think that adopting might have been difficult for a couple like you two. I just hope that he's doing okay without you. I haven't seen him in so long." She sighs, adjusting some of the laundry; her basket is empty. She goes inside and the visions shift again.

I see the cousin now; she is crying a little, but smiling. She is reading a notebook of sorts. There are two different sets of handwriting in it; one is a man's, the other a woman's. They likely belong to the woman herself and the dead cousin. She goes through it and reads a little bit aloud here and there. It contains mostly stories of battles and happy times, though few, with the family. She giggles slightly at something; the tears in her eyes flow a little more steadily.

Now, it is the group of masked individuals from the trees in the earlier vision; they are welcoming a newcomer into their midst.

* * *

The singing girl remains as cryptic as ever, and I still have yet to remember the things that she hints at. More time has passed, although there is still as little measurement of time as ever; neither sun nor moor nor stars are visible to weigh out the days.

Another round of hallucinations today was marked by another verse of my mysterious friend's song.

I see the tree from the last vision now; it is taller than before. It is still weak, still thin, still with meager bark. There is a slight snowfall around it but grass is showing in spots. It must be warm now—as I watch some of the snow near the tree melts and seeps down to its roots.

I see a view of the town. It seems to be springtime now, as flowers and trees are in bloom and I can see a bird making its nest, as another sits nearby, unable to help. Young children and adolescents run through the streets, all going to the same place. It seems to be a school. I watch as a crowd of them go into a classroom and the teacher starts listing them off into groups of three. Some are excited, others angry, still others indifferent. They go their separate ways but soon each group meets with a different teacher separately.

There is another view of the tree: a few months have passed and, like my friend's song, there are small fruits here. The mother emerges from the house and tenderly picks a few. "My son, you are still with us, in our hearts. The fruit that you help to grow shall feed our family now. They shall keep you close to us forever, so that we can never forget all that you did in your short time on this Earth. We send you all our love, today and every day."

I return to my view of the depressed lover, whom I see in the same state that I left him from last time. He falls asleep weeping, then lapses into fast motion again. There are more drinking binges, more close calls with the knife, and then a spell where he hauls in a lot of food and sake and locks himself in. He then stays in the room for what I can assume are months at a stretch, drinking, eating, and crying. Soon enough he has the knife again, and I can almost feel myself rooting for it to win this time. He starts to dig the blade into his flesh, and he passes out on the floor.

Not one minute later, there is a knock at the door. When there is no reply, the door is broken in, and a young woman from an earlier hallucination bursts in, shouts, and begins bandaging the poor lover's arm. Time zooms forward again and, sure enough, he is alive and well. I see him talking to a doctor, and slowly recovering from his reliance on the bottle and depression. He becomes a new man, and can soon walk the streets of the town with his head held high again.

This is strangely upsetting.

The mother comes into view again; she has a photo album in her hands. She is turning the pages slowly; every time a photo of a certain face comes up, she stops and her gaze lingers. I feel the image of this particular face burning in my mind; I should know this young man.

The mother sighs a few times, and gets teary-eyed at some of the photos. It burns inside when I watch her turn her head a little and gaze quizzically at a photo of him. Could she have possibly forgotten her child so quickly? It may have been years, but he was important; how could she do him the injustice?

The cousin is alone now, inside a house. She is pacing back and forth, talking to herself. Her hands move about in wild gestures; she seems to have a weighty issue on her mind. She stops pacing near a wall and leans on it a little; a younger girl walks in. She looks at the cousin, shakes her head, and swiftly walks out of the room. The cousin looks up for an instant, but immediately goes back to her debate. She looks out a window, smiling softly now. "You would know exactly what to do, wouldn't you…"

I see two of the masked people now; they are conversing in an empty wooden room. The words are rough, but I understand that they are talking about the dead man. Memorial services, a tribute? They discuss the possibilities, but in the end one of them simply carves four symbols above the door; they could be the man's name.

* * *

I know now. It has taken a very long time but I remember everything as it was before. I feel my insides writhing in pain; it is torture to know that such things have happened to me.

My final round of hallucinations was accompanied by a short verse of the song.

I hear the entire first line this time; I understand that where I am is truly no longer life; I am in some sort of afterlife.

The charred, broken, bleeding, mangled body was my own.

I know this for sure; I began hallucinating by reliving everything from before, with clarity; there were no missing words. I could recognize all of the faces and voices; my former teammates, my lover, my mother, my two cousins, my whole clan, and the village…

Since my death all those years ago, my old job, that of a shinobi, has since been nearly eliminated. There are only five or so full-time in my village now, with one or two in training. They only take those with the highest potential, and train them to capacity, teaching safety standards and techniques for evaluating your own limits that were beyond the reach of anyone in my lifetime. A person can now understand what the effects of a jutsu on his or her body will be simply by meditating for a minute or two.

Shinobi are now trying new things that would have killed the average person in my day; they have truly taken their exclusive work to new, extreme heights. Near the end of this part of the hallucination, I watch a young man flawlessly execute the jutsu that was the death of me. His control is perfect; his methods are impeccable.

I can feel a part of me screaming in pain.

I watch my lover, the bright-eyed, vibrant Naruto, standing face-to-face with a deserter from our village. They are dressed in the utmost of formal clothes; Gaara from Sunagakure is standing just behind them. He says a few words that I am all too well familiar with; there is applause, and I watch as Naruto kisses Sasuke the traitor.

The pain is overpowering; I fall to my knees. How could this happen?

I see them at their home now; they are just returning, and they walk in with a boy of about eleven years. Naruto pulls both Sasuke and the boy close in a huge hug; he refers to his husband and his son. The boy rolls his eyes, but smiles, and then runs off; he has friends waiting for him.

Why couldn't that have been me!

"Do you understand now, Hyuuga? Do you know why I couldn't tell you anything?"

"Yes, I understand. It would have hurt too much; I couldn't have believed it…is that why the others have left? Because they all remembered?"

"Yes, Hyuuga. They all passed along, and it will be your turn soon, too. Every person hears a different song when here with me; it is all part of the vision. The songs allow you to ease into your memories. You will soon be relieved of your pain; you need no longer remember the living. Go; it is time to leave."

* * *

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated!


	11. The Atheist Christmas Carol

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

I plan on updating the last chapter of this story when Iget three reviews or five days pass, whichever comes first.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are greatly appreciated—CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 11: THE ATHEIST CHRISTMAS CAROL

Much time has passed since Naruto and Sasuke asked Gaara for permission to move into Suna together; he and I were more than happy to have them after all the time away. It had been almost two months since I had seen Naruto, and nineteen years since Sasuke was a friend. He never really said what made him change his mind or why he let himself come back, but I think I have an idea.

They were both eternally grateful for our hospitality; Konoha had rejected Sasuke, and Naruto couldn't bear to be without him…it was impossible to say no, even if there had been a reason to. Sasuke said, as we were helping him move in, that it felt like we were strangers again…no more malice, no more prejudice, just warm concern for the wellbeing of another person…Naruto had worked his wonders on Sasuke, at long last. Our two little families became close quickly; our daughter loved both of her 'uncles' at first meeting, and they can hardly say no to her. It truly shows that love knows no bounds.

Now, after Sasuke and Naruto have lived in Suna for fifteen years, been adoptive fathers for ten and married for more than eight, I can see Sasuke's walls of strength wearing away a little. He asked me the other day if someone like him deserved a life like his. I told him it wasn't something that I could ever be allowed to decide; did he feel like it was wrong? Had he atoned for his sins? He stayed silent, looking down; I knew his thoughts at that moment. He saw himself as unforgiven.

It's getting cold now, but we're still out, walking the streets at night. Sasuke came to me again today, and we talked for a long time. He began weeping partway through the conversation; he's so different from the Sasuke I remember. He felt guilty, he was depressed, and he didn't know what was going on with his life. I held him for a while and sent Gaara to get Naruto. They returned later and even though I had managed to get Sasuke to stop weeping some time before he began again when his husband entered the room. We sat for a while, but Naruto soon decided that Sasuke needed air; it was his decision to go walking. It's amazing how well Naruto knows these things; Sasuke stopped crying when we stepped out the door.

We've been walking along the quiet nighttime streets for longer than I care to count; the sun is still yet to rise. We're huddled close as we go along; Naruto has a firm grip on Sasuke's hand, and I'm pressed close against his other side. We haven't talked much; just a few words here and there. Sasuke is no longer weeping; Naruto's smile seems to have faded.

Sasuke said, "I'm getting old"; he said, "the years haven't been kind to me." Naruto disagreed passionately; he declared, "You're no less beautiful now than you've ever been. You are still mine and only mine, and that's what matters, believe me." Sasuke tried to protest but Naruto wouldn't let him; he covered his husband's arguing mouth with his own. The worries were stifled, if only for the moment.

When they separated they stood gazing into each other's eyes for what might have been a lifetime. Eventually Sasuke gave a smile—more common from him now than anyone would have thought when we were in Konoha—and began walking again. I pulled in close to him again; he put one hand on my shoulder gently.

We walked on a little further; it was approaching midnight then. Sasuke shivered violently, knocking both Naruto and I away from him a little bit. He continued to shake, so we huddled around him; I held him from the back, his husband latched firmly onto his front. Their eyes met and stayed together again as we rubbed Sasuke, trying to put warmth back into him. The dark man continued to shake and Naruto, noticing this, began to sing a simple song.

_"Don't forget I love you"_

There were only five different words to his song, but they held power like few other words could. "Sasuke…no matter how many times I say it, it's still true. I love you; I always will. I'm not the only one. Ryo, our wonderful son, will always be there for you, no matter what. So will Sakura, and Gaara, and Anarosu, and all of our neighbors; you're important to so many people, loved by so many people, Sasuke. That's what matters."

He sang again, repeating the verse a few times.

"It doesn't matter how bad your past might have been; it matters that you've abandoned that life and have decided to move on to a new one, to your current one. A life of love, a life of happiness, a life of family, a life where the rest of the world is just outside your window. Take it, love it, forget the past; it's only a burden on your shoulders. We all know that you haven't been the best person in the world; we don't care. Not anymore. You are my husband, the love of my life, you are Ryo's father. _That_ is what people care about."

Sasuke took a long time to stop shivering, but when he did, we continued on, walking in silence. I looked up into Sasuke's eyes from his side; I could see tears lingering.

"Why…why did shinobi fall out of use? I've never heard it explained…" Sasuke choked out the words, barely able to speak. I think he might have felt that he was part of the reason.

"Madara, mostly. After the end to his Eye of the Moon plan…the Kage and Daimyo of the shinobi nations decided that there needed to be a change. They were phased out slowly, over about twelve years. There are only about five left in each village now, and they only exist in utmost secrecy. We keep them for espionage and subversive warfare, primarily. With the new weaponry…hand-to-hand combat faded, and the risks with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu were too great. Bloodline Limits were the cause of a great debate…since they're inherited, they were allowed to be retained by the public, but…their use is highly discouraged. In the end, you should be especially careful, Sasuke—after Eye of the Moon, Sharingan will never be looked at in the same way again." I explained it all, surprised that he had never asked Naruto about it before. "There was nothing anyone could have done about it…I think that, soon enough—even without Madara—their use would have ended."

Sasuke was silent then. He just kept walking with us at his sides, looking at his feet. He kept his eyes down; I think he was still afraid. Naruto kept one arm around him; I had one hand clamped on his arm. We walked in silence again, trying to keep warm, trying to keep Sasuke going.

Naruto began to sing again.

Sasuke absorbed Naruto's words, letting them fill him. As he walked, his gaze turned from the road to the sky, where only the moon shone. His eyes lingered there for some time; as he stared at the crescent, he hummed along with Naruto's song. It was nowhere near perfect, but the little attempt at harmony drew the couple together.

They went on like that and soon Naruto, too, turned his eyes up to the moon. They pulled closer to each other, and I could tell that Sasuke was finally beginning to let himself relax and be comforted. Perhaps it was the moon; perhaps it was the song, but whatever it was, I was grateful that the Sasuke I was now used to seemed to be coming back. The tears, the flow of emotion, and the fears all seemed so unnatural.

Sasuke stopped humming to sing along with Naruto.

The singing wasn't very good, but in the night, with all of the emotions that had been poured out and all of the worries that were put to rest, it still sounded beautiful. It was the loudest sound in the dead of night that we were walking through, but their voices were quiet and low—more than a whisper but quieter than their conversation. It was almost eerie, nearly haunting—all but melancholy—but nonetheless sweet and emotional. At one point, after a verse, Sasuke stopped and pulled Naruto into a brief kiss. I knew then that Sasuke had recovered from his state of depression; he was happier now and would be able to stay that way.

Soon enough we were in front of my house again. I stopped and turned, looking at the two men by my side.

"He'll be fine now," Naruto said, giving Sasuke a squeeze. He smiled up at his husband. They stood still for a moment, then gave a soft farewell and went on their way home. I said goodbye and waved to their backs. Smiling a little, I entered the house to find Gaara sitting near the door; he seemed to be asleep. I sat down next to him, put my head on his shoulder, and sang a round of Naruto's little song.

* * *

Reviews of all kinds are greatly appreciated! Only one chapter left; if I get three reviews before Friday, it'll go up early!


	12. Green Island Serenade

AN:This project was inspired by the album of the same name by Vienna Teng, and was conceived as an 'album-fic': Each chapter was inspired by a song from the album, in order. While I was listening to it, I found that it had a distinct narrative hidden in the lyrics; I felt that it was a great fit for these characters, so I ran with the idea.

During the course of this story, narrators will change and there will be time skips, often with little notice. I do this not in an effort to be frustrating, but rather to make reading the story more natural as a whole and as a fit to the original _Warm Strangers_. Changes will not be abrupt or completely unmarked—they will usually occur at chapter breaks—but will not be highlighted violently, as I have seen some authors do with parentheses in the middle of paragraphs.

I have sadly not expanded my knowledge of the Naruto universe much since my last story, so while this story tries to fit into the main universe, I will not claim that it is never AU.

Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, and as such I do not own any of the characters or other ideas contained herein. I can only lay claim to this plot.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are greatly appreciated—CF

* * *

WARM STRANGERS

CHAPTER 12: GREEN ISLAND SERENADE

It's lonely for me, looking out this window. This is all I really have anymore. Since you've gone…I have come to love staring at the moon, like I used to with you. I especially enjoyed it on the nights when I had been sad. Looking at the moon with you nearly always made me feel like nothing was wrong. Now…that feeling might never come back. Still, all I can make myself do is watch from the window. Children sometimes wave to me from the road…I smile and wave back and then they try to call out to me. It always makes me sad to do so but I can never respond. I think they call me "window Grandpa."

I feel almost lost since you're no longer here. I know it's not anything that you wanted—we all know that—but you were my guiding light, radiating from the lighthouse, and now I am merely tossed about on the waves, looking for land that is too far away to see. This moon is not enough to guide me; I need more. Otherwise I may never find the safe shore. There are still rocks on the water, there is still the infinite ocean, there are still sirens about…some may say that this is insanity but I know the nature of my own heart—as did you. Even as I am now, even after all this time with you, my heart may find itself distracted by any number of wicked things. I suppose that the moon does help there—it reminds me of your guidance—but it can never be enough. Why are you not here?

I long for you again more than I ever knew I could. I miss your touch, I miss your voice, I miss your face…I even miss all of the things you used to do that would annoy me or bother me. They were what defined you and without them here I know that there is something essential missing in the depth of my heart. This separation is taking its toll on me and I am growing weaker for it. I hold all of my memories of you close to me so that they will not fade before my time comes. The burning inside of me, the longing for everything that you have ever been, has become so painful; I cannot bear it much longer. Why must you be away from me?

I often sing now; it is usually the little verse that you taught me one lonely and painful night with Sakura. I fell in love with that tiny song right away and have used it to rekindle the happy feelings that seem to be so fleeting now. I always think of you where you are now whenever I sing it and hope that, in some way, it might reach you. I know that this is an absurd hope but hopes and dreams are all that I have now. I am even now watching the moon and singing and it feels as if you are here in the room with me, seated by my side, also looking at the moon, also singing, with your hand in mine. Ever the one to be reassured, I am glad that we found each other.

I have written love letters to you since then. I have written so many that I've lost count, but my hand never tires of forming the words. They are often the same but I cannot stop myself from writing them. Everything that I have ever felt goes into them; perhaps they hold more than I told you in life. When the weather favors it I gather up all of the letters I have and walk down to the oasis. I sit at the edge and, one by one, slowly fold them into little paper boats, casting each one afloat when it is finished. I then watch them drifting gently, often for hours on end, before they sink to the bottom. I think that people sometimes ask me what I'm doing, what's on the paper, but I cannot tell, so I just respond with a smile.

On my rare trips out of our home, the children who wave to me at my window run up to me and try to talk to me—at least, I believe that they are the same children. They smile whenever they see me about, and they seem to chatter along happily, but I always have to hold my hand up, gesture to my ear, and shake my head a little. They often do not understand. I try to force out the word to explain to them, but I often am not able. Some of the older ones understand, including one boy who has taken to writing things for me to see—he often brings me food that his mother makes. He tries to help the littler ones understand, I think.

This friend saw me watching the moon one evening about a week ago, and waved up to me. I waved back, and he gestured a little, asking for permission to come visit me. I let him come in, and he climbed up the wall; I was rather surprised. He had a large, blank scroll with him…he unrolled it a bit and started writing. We chatted like that for some time…I told him about what I do with the letters, and about you, and about Ryo and his children. He was pleased to hear that he was not the only one who was "like him" (he is sixteen and has been romantically involved with the same young man of about his age for three years) and said that he was sad that he never realized that "Ramen Grandpa"—that's what he called you!—had been my husband because we seemed so unlike each other.

I asked him about life with his family, and he paused before writing. He said that, like me, most of his family was unable to hear, which meant things were rough. It was hard for most of them to make much money, so he had to work around town, and it was rare that he could spend time being himself. He did say that he found a job that he could enjoy, though, and that he might continue with. He is working under Gaara's successor as a clerk and errand boy…he claims that it is one of the best things he ever could have done and that it will feed his family well. I am happy for him.

Before he left, I looked out to the moon. I smiled up to it, and began to sing the song again. He looked at me, a little puzzled, and I wrote the words out for him. He read them and joined me singing your words. When he stopped, he asked me about the moon…I told him how it reminded me of you, and how it helped me to deal with our separation. He smiled gently at me, and put his hand on mine, but I pulled away. I explained to him that, although I was glad for his concern, my hands were for you alone…he understood completely.

This evening, as he does every day at about the same time, Ryo stopped by with food for me for the next day—I am so glad to have as good of a son as Ryo. Today, he brought someone else with him. My young friend from the village had come by to see me, and Ryo met him. He asked the boy what he was doing; he told our son a little about our past encounters, and how he wanted to see how I was doing. They entered together, and both came over to greet me. I received them, and they started preparing my dinner together, Ryo explaining to my friend how I liked my food. My friend added something that he had brought from home, cooking it with skill I had not expected.

We all ate together—although I think Ryo was a little bit shorted—and Ryo left quickly after the meal. My friend stayed, and we had another written conversation on a blank scroll. He told me about his paramour—who, it turns out, we knew as a friend of Ryo's youngest—and his love of food. He seems to be something of a connoisseur, which surprised me a bit, considering what he says about his clerk job. He had nothing but praise for your ramen. He reminds me of you, when we were genin in Konoha—except his hair is a good deal longer and darker than yours ever was, and he much prefers to wear dark green, not orange. The comparisons are surprising, otherwise.

It began raining during our visit and for a while we just sat and watched it fall. After several minutes his lips began to move as he stared out at the rain. Reading his lips I reasoned that he was singing our song, so I joined him. He smiled through the lyrics, and soon picked up the scroll, still singing, and wrote me a little message. I read it and a tear came to my eye…I held the scroll for some time before responding, simply staring out at the rain. When I finally gathered the courage to write I told him my whole story, starting back in Konoha over seventy years ago. When I was done he took the scroll from me, wiped a tear from my eye, and read, still singing. He never stopped singing while he read.

His reply was, "I understand; sometimes, it takes awful things to make a good person. I see this here, in you." I read this, and thanked him as many times as I could. We chatted about this and that for a while, and then he said that his family was expecting him. He stood up, embraced me briefly, bowed, and left with the scroll. I pointed to the door, not wanting him to leave down the wall, which would be far too slippery. He opened the door wide before turning, bowing again, and leaving. Before he closed the door, I saw a figure slip in past him. I was hesitant to believe what I saw at first but I immediately knew. A soft, sad smile crept its way onto my eighty-one year old face when I realized what this meant; it was bittersweet. The figure approached me, sat where my friend had been, and put its hand on mine; I did not object. It was time to be reunited with my Naruto in blessed peace forever.

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Thank you for reading to the end! Please leave reviews! I do appreciate them so.


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